I’ve have made it apparent over the last season that I, like many Bucs fans, are not a fan of Chris Conte. Without a doubt I’m sure he has heard the ire of us Conte ”haters”, and you would think he would have grown a certain immunity towards it by now. Evidently that is not the case after an exclusive interview with JoeBucsFan.com’s (Full interview HERE) Ira Kaufman saying,
”Since I first came into this league, I’ve gotten zero respect from anyone in the National Football League. Of course, that’s fuel.
I haven’t made the playoffs yet, that’s true. It’s frustrating. I also think it’s part of the reason why there’s a lot of negativity around me — because I’ve been on some not-so-great teams. I used to let a lot of that stuff bother me, but I’ve gotten older and I’m better about blocking that junk out and just doing my job.”
I kind of sounds like it still bothers him actually.
Let’s set the record straight once and for all. Conte doesn’t receive flack simply because he has been on some ”not-so-great teams”. In fact it’s because of the not-so-great individual results that gives him the unwanted criticism. There are plenty of great players who have played on bad teams in years passed. Athletes like Dan Marino, J.J. Watt, and our very own Gerald McCoy comes to mind and have all played on bad teams. They were and are great players in spite of being on some lowly teams.
In my opinion, the criticism that he has received is fair thus far because of his knack for getting burned on key plays or missing crucial tackles. Yes, Conte has made a few key plays that have helped us win games, but I don’t think the ends justify the means on this one.
All Bucs fans surely want to see Conte be successful. If he turns in a great year, that means our defense becomes that much more formidable. Fans want him to be great, and I’m sure they would not mind giving out their respect. It has to be earned though. So here’s to hoping that Chris Conte has a great season.
